Current system for adding additives (e.g. soap, fabric softener, etc.) to an appliance (e.g. washing machine, dryer, etc.) utilize pumps to force air into a container housing the additive thereby increasing the pressure within the container. This increase in pressure forces the additive into the appliance. This increase in pressure can also cause rupturing of the container. In addition, the pumping of air into the container increases the risk of adding contaminates to the additive. Currently, the container is located inside an appliance cabinet and is not accessible to a user without disassembling the appliance. For example, if the container develops a leak, a homeowner or service person would be required to disassemble a washing machine to replace or repair the container.
Having the containers and other hardware (e.g. pumps, circuitry, and other connections) located inside the appliance cabinet also hinders routine maintenance such as cleaning the containers, lubricating the pumps. In addition having the containers located inside the appliance cabinet does not allow a user to alter the additive capacity. For example, the homeowner may want to load two gallons of soap and a half a gallon of fabric softener. If the appliance only has two one-gallon containers, then the homeowner's wishes cannot be accommodated. In addition, current delivery of the additives to the wash bath of the appliance utilizes manual feed of the additives into the respective containers.
Having the above problems in mind, there exist a need for systems and methods for delivering additives to appliances that don't require increasing the pressure within the containers, allow for easy access to the containers and other system components, are customizable based on user preferences, and facilitate easy maintenance.